Tuesdays with Dorie: Creamiest Lime Cream Meringue Pie

At first, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to make this pie. Never been a big lime fan and meringue isn’t my favorite either but decided it was time to stretch.

Reading over the calorie-rich ingredients induced a wave of impending guilt that could only be calmed by eating a big jar of lettuce. Then I forged ahead. I’ll admit I was not able to follow the recipe to the letter. It just wasn’t in me. I couldn’t use that much butter. So I left out 1/2 cup. Also cut the sugar back a couple of tablespoons.

Another departure from the directions involved cooking the cream. I don’t have a double boiler and my attempts to improvise were futile. So I enlisted my trusty microwave to do the job. Using my favorite glass batter bowl, I thoroughly mixed the eggs/sugar/cornstarch/juice mixture. Then I cooked it in the microwave on medium speed whisking vigorously after every minute. Within about 6-7 minutes, I had a thick, creamy mixture that hit 180 degrees. I followed the directions thereafter, putting it through a sieve and then in the blender for 3 minutes. It was velvety smooth.

My last challenge was the meringue. I’ve never met a meringue I really, really liked. But the picture in the book is beautiful and I wanted to try again. Another concern was about the baking directions. Does broiling for a minute or two really cook the meringue all the way through? Or am I eating raw egg whites? Just decided I wouldn’t think about that for now. The pie turned out fine and my family enjoyed it.

Speaking of the picture, now I know why Dorie’s photographer used a pastry crust instead of a graham cracker crust. Impossible to get a perfect slice.

Your pie looks great and I like your pie dish! Thanks for leaving a comment on my blog – I hadn’t been to yours and now I will be back to check out your skinny secrets. I try to eat lots of healthy things to make up for my dessert habit!

Thanks for stopping by my blog! Nice to meet another TWD baker. Re: your question on graham cracker crust. Did you leave out any butter with graham cracker crust? I made mine exactly like Dorie wrote, baked 10 minutes and let cool. I assembled the pie and let chill in the frig for about 3 hours. I think that helped firm up the butter in the crust that keeps it together. Then again I could be talking out my butt. HA HA. Your pie looks delicious crumbly crust and all!
Clara @ iheartfood4thought

I was wondering how the graham cracker crust would hold up as a pie crust…
Your pie looks wonderful, especially your meringue!!
I love your method of cooking the cream – I always have a lot of trouble with that part of the recipe.
Thanks for stopping by my blog and your kind comment re: my job situation!

I certainly don’t see any problems with your slice of pie–the photo looks beautiful! I especially love the perfectly toasted meringue. And the microwave tip is genius, I’m definitely using that next time.